A dozen dogs were killed in a Thursday evening house fire in northwest Houston.

Authorities say a fire started around 6pm in the kitchen of a home off Spring Valley Drive.

No one was home at the time of the fire, but 12 dogs, including puppies, died in the fire.

"I told them I said, 'You gotta get the dogs out.' They couldn't. They couldn't save them. They couldn't save them," said Janice Vannote through tears.

Vannote is the sister of the dogs' owner.

According to Houston firefighters, the fire was likely sparked by a power surge on an overloaded outlet. It smoldered and the smoke killed the dogs, most of which were Siberian huskies. A neighbor noticed the smoke and called 911.